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This excerpt is part of
Entrepreneur.com's Second-Quarter Startup Kit which
explores the fundamentals of starting up in a wide range of
industries.

In Start Your Own Consulting Business, the
staff at Entrepreneur Press and writer Eileen Figure Sandlin
explain how you can start a profitable consulting business, no
matter whether your consulting business will focus on HR
placement, computer troubleshooting, or anything else you can
dream up. In this edited excerpt, the authors offer tips on
providing customer service that will help you land new
business again and again.

To succeed as a consultant,
you must do everything you can to set yourself apart from the
competition. You want to give your clients a reason to say, "I'm
really glad I chose this consultant." One way to ensure this is
to provide the best customer service on the planet.

One great way to do this is by communicating with your client
often about whether his or her expectations are being met and if
the project is progressing as desired. "At the end of the first
month of a project, I always ask my clients whether they think
value is being achieved," says California trainer and coach Susan
Bock, who is a past president of the Association of Professional
Consultants. "I'll give them a full refund and won't proceed any
further if I determine it's not possible to deal with their
unrealized expectations."

Fred Elbel, a web design and computer consultant in Lakewood,
Colorado, takes a different approach to customer service: He
actually gives information away free as a way to make a favorable
impression. "I give a lot of free advice to customers--in fact,
sometimes too much," he admits. "It could be information like how
to back up a computer system. But what happens is that clients
remember how I helped them, and they'll call me when they don't
have the time or skill to tackle other problems."

To succeed as a consultant, you need to develop a win-win style
of customer service. This means that both you and your client
must view everything you do as something positive, a means of
moving forward and/or a way to solve a problem. Your ultimate
success depends on your ability to use your inner resources and
strengths, as well as your ability to do whatever it takes to
solve your clients' problems and challenges and to be positive
and energized while you do it. When you do these things, both you
and your client will come out winners.

While solving problems and addressing challenges are certainly a
consultant's main functions, there's another important task
consultants must undertake, says Melinda Patrician, a Virginia
public relations consultant. "One thing I highly recommend," she
says, "is to get to know what the power structure is in that
organization and get to know the support staff as well as your
contact person." Understanding the organization will help you
make better decisions and give better advice. It also helps you
to know who the go-to person is when you need input or a decision
made relating to the project you're handling.

1. Accept full responsibility for your actions.
Concentrate on giving your very best, no matter how good, bad or
indifferent your client may be.

2. Develop an attitude of optimism and positive
expectations. Begin to expect the very best from
yourself, and soon others around you will see what a powerful
force you present. Remember, optimists are simply people who've
learned how to discipline their attitudes to their advantage.

3. Motivate yourself to have a "never give up"
style. Make your clients feel you're there for them no
matter what. In other words, go above and beyond the call of duty
to fulfill your end of the agreement.

4. Keep improving your communications skills.
When there's a breakdown in communication, chaos results.
Practice your listening skills. Sometimes clients may not be
clear about what they want, so ask questions so you're sure you
understand what's expected of you.

5. Believe in yourself. When you have a high
level of self-esteem, the sky's the limit.

6. Be flexible. Any consultant who can maintain
a high degree of flexibility will gain a good reputation and have
no trouble attracting new clients.

7. Set goals. When you have a plan of action
with certain goals in mind, your goals will be easier to achieve.
Remember, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

8. Organize yourself. This will impress your
clients and help you become a more successful consultant.

9. Seek more than one solution to a problem. You
also should always look for creative ways to solve those
problems. Walt Disney, a true visionary if ever there was one,
was a firm believer in the power of brainstorming; you should be,
too!

10. Be happy! When you're happy, those around
you will be happy, too.

Erin Blaskie, an author and internet marketing specialist, offers
these suggestions for becoming a successful consultant:

Implement ideas fast. Don't hold back, and don't
dilly-dally with details or try to be perfect. Get ideas out
there, and tweak them as you go.

Use your strengths, and delegate the rest. Don't
try to do everything yourself. Let's face it--to be successful,
you need to learn that you aren't the best person to do
everything in your business. Find the right people to help you
out, and they'll pay for themselves.

Do only what you love. If you take on work you
don't love, you run the risk of doing a poor job or taking
light-years to complete a task. No one is meant or expected to do
everything. Rather, we're meant to do the work we're passionate
about because that makes us successful.

Work only with people who energize you. Find
clients you're inspired by, who embrace your talents and who
understand the way you work.

Limit your overhead. Stay in the green, and
you'll become more successful. Think of how much less stress
you'll have when money isn't an issue!

Be generous. Don't be afraid to give away
information or help out your fellow businessperson for nothing in
return. It feels great, and people will remember you.